NFL Player News

The Chiefs signed Pederson to a reserve/future contract Thursday, Mike Kaye of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Pederson was waived by New Orleans ahead of the regular season and failed to land another roster spot during the 2021 campaign. He'll now attempt to carve out a role with Kansas City during the offseason.

Sweeney played in 13 games during the 2021 regular season, catching nine of 12 targets for 44 yards and one touchdown.

Top tight end Dawson Knox sat out two games due to injury in the middle of the season, but even when he was moved into an elevated role in his stead, Sweeney proved he's nowhere near the pass catcher that Knox is. While taking on a 34 percent snap share for the season, Sweeney was mostly utilized for his blocking skills and not his hands. Knox isn't going anywhere since he's now at or near the upper echelon of NFL tight ends, so the best Sweeney can hope for is that the Bills don't bring in too much competition this offseason. After missing all of 2020 due to a heart condition related to COVID-19, Sweeney's best performance in any game since his 2019 rookie campaign is a modest 3-30-0 receiving line in Week 8 this past season.

Higbee (knee) was a non-participant at Wednesday's walk-through practice, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Since spraining his MCL in the NFC Championship Game against the 49ers on Jan. 30, Higbee has missed all on-field work for the Rams, which so far has included a pair of walk-throughs and one full session. He'll have two more chances to get on the practice field this week, but it may be a stretch for that to happen after head coach Sean McVay told Henderson on Monday, "I don't think so," regarding the tight end's chances to do so. If Higbee is limited or can't play in Sunday's Super Bowl versus the Bengals, Kendall Blanton would assumed most of the tight end reps for Los Angeles.

Uzomah (knee) won't practice Wednesday, but Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said he's still optimistic the tight end will be ready for Sunday's Super Bowl matchup with the Rams, Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.

Uzomah did rehab work over the weekend and said Monday that he anticipates playing in the Super Bowl, but he'll still go down as a non-participant on the fourth consecutive practice report. He'll have chances Thursday and Friday to log some on-field activity before the Bengals release their final injury report ahead of Sunday. If Uzomah is unavailable this weekend, Drew Sample likely will find himself in a three-down role at tight end, which was the case after Uzomah's early exit in the AFC Championship Game against Kansas City.

When asked Monday whether Higbee (knee) will be able to practice in the coming days, coach Sean McVay replied "I don't think so," Brady Henderson of ESPN reports.

Higbee sprained his MCL in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 30 and was listed as a non-participant on the Rams' posted injury report last week. At this stage, the tight end's status for Sunday's Super Bowl against the Bengals is cloudy, more so if Higbee is unable to practice at all in advance of the contest. That said, McVay noted that Higbee is "going to do everything in his power" to be available, with the team planning to "take it a day at a time with Tyler." In Higbee's anticipated absence from practice, Kendall Blanton is in line to handle first-team TE reps.

Mack signed a reserve/future deal with the Packers on Monday,

Mack was selected in the seventh round of the 2019 draft by New Orleans. However, his time with the Saints was short, and he since has had stints on the practice squads of the Steelers, Chiefs and Lions. Mack has yet to play in an NFL game, but he'll work to take advantage of the opportunity in Green Bay and change that in 2022.

Uzomah (knee) considers himself day-to-day and said Monday that he plans to play in the Super Bowl, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

Uzomah suffered an MCL sprain in the first half of the AFC Championship Game, leaving backup tight end Drew Sample in a three-down role for the remainder of the contest. The week off between conference championship games and the Super Bowl helps, but there's still no guarantee of Uzomah being ready by Sunday, even after his confident statement Monday morning. He was held out of practice last week, eventually progressing to rehab work on the side over the weekend. A return to practice this week would be a big step in the right direction.

Knox finished his third NFL season with 49 catches on 71 targets for 587 yards and nine TD catches over 15 games.

Knox also found the end zone twice in the playoffs. His nine TD catches in the regular season tied for the league lead among tight ends and were the most for any TE in Bills franchise history. While the targets and yardage still fall short of the league's elite at the position, Knox may have outperformed every other TE in terms of outproducing his draft day value, which was pretty close to zero as an undrafted player in a number of leagues. As a 26-year-old with an elite quarterback locked into the system, Knox will probably be picked among the the top eight tight ends in almost every format next season.

Uzomah (knee) had his first rehab day of the week on the side of Saturday's practice, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Uzomah worked with trainer Nick Cosgray by using the stationary bike and resistance bands, plus he did some running and kicking in the air. It is a good sign for the Bengals' No. 1 tight end, as it is his first real work since suffering an MCL sprain in the AFC Championship Game. It remains to be seen if he can make enough progress to suit up for the Super Bowl, but Saturday's workout is a step in the right direction.

Higbee (knee) didn't practice Friday, Tyler Dragon of USA Today reports.

With Higbee absent for a third straight day, the Rams estimate he'd be listed as doubtful if they had a game this Sunday. As is, he'll have another week to prepare for the Super Bowl, with Higbee and Bengals TE C.J. Uzomah (also nursing an MCL sprain) potentially the two biggest injury question marks next week. Backup TE Kendall Blanton caught five passes after Higbee's early departure from the NFC Championship Game, and Blanton could have a significant role again, with coach Sean McVay acknowledging that Higbee is uncertain for the Super Bowl.